Last weekend`s gun show prize

[burb1989]

Last Saturday in Jackson, MS I managed to find a great gun amidst all the chaos brought on by the government. Everyone was buying AR`s, mags, and ammo so what I was after was safe but scarce. I came out of it with this No5 Mk1. The left side of the receiver reads NO5MK1ROF (F) and below it reads 2/45 G56XX. I think I overpaid a little at $650 but since I knew it was a highly collectible enfield and I have two other different enfields in my bolt-action rifle collection I felt ok with buying it. I brought it home and found out that every number on this gun matches, including the magazine, which from my experience is the first thing that gets mismatched. I cleaned it and inspected the bore, which looks good enough to shoot, so one of these days when the weather`s better I think I`ll take it to the range and have fun with it. I think the lighting in the picture doesn`t do it justice so when I get better lighting I`ll post new pics for all to enjoy.

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[jmoore]

The price you paid isn't a steal, but if the rifle's good- no worries! They are handy rifles which don't encourage the over expediture of ammo. Just don't expect little bitty groups.

[burb1989]

It`s a great gun. Even though it might not have small groupings like other longer range guns it`s a great piece of WW2 history. My plans for it might be to use it as a mid-range (100-200 yards) gun for hunting deer and for longer range and bigger game I have a no4 mk1* from Long Branch that`s already pretty accurate at 300+ yards. I have an uncle who fought in the Burma campaign during WW2 for the Army so this is a way for me to understand what he went through being over there.

[jmoore]

If you want to know more about the Burma experience, there was (and still may be) a monthly newsletter by the veterans who were there.

"Ex-CBI Roundup" is the name of it I think. (The "CBI Roundup" was the WWII newsletter.)

[burb1989]

Awesome! I`ll look into it when I get the chance. My uncle has long since passed on but his wife is still around so I can ask her more about him.

[jmoore]

Found their site!

http://www.ex-cbi-roundup.com/

Not very visited, but they do have a fair number of issues viewable on line. (Mostly from the 1970s and older.)

[burb1989]

This gun is continuing to intrigue me moresoever than it did when I bought it. Aside from the normal acceptance marks done by the Brits and an export mark from Britian there isn`t any other obvious markings as to where it has been all this time prior to my purchase. It has no import mark so I know it came over here before 1968 and the mystique of what action it could`ve seen before coming here just makes me wonder. Since it was made in February 1945 I know that limits its service history to Burma and possibly the Emergency afterwards. Who knows, this pondering by me is probably just a history buff romanticizing about where an item has been.

[cooltouch]

Congratulations on your purchase! I owned a No4 Mk I years ago as a kid and sold it stupidly, but back in those days it wasn't particularly valuable.

I have a question for anyone who is well versed in the No.5 Mk I: the rifle in the photo here shows a forestock with the rounded tip. Mine wasn't like that. It tapered down to a squared off black plastic tip -- or at least I think it was plastic. It might have been metal. Been too many years ago. Since then I have seen the No5 Mk I both ways. I'm just curious what the story is here? Perhaps the factory sometimes ran out of the black-tipped ones and substituted No.4 Mk I stocks, then just rounded off the tips?

[burb1989]

From what I`ve seen and read about No5 Mk1`s is that they added that black tip on the bottom stock sometime in mid-1945 (I`m guessing it`s a metal tip) so that helps to validate or date a particular rifle. Mine doesn`t have that tip which makes sense seeing as how it was made in February of that year before doing that add on. Plus the stock on my rifle matches the receiver, bolt, and magazine and it never went back for repairs so I know it is the right one . The sling isn`t the correct issue for it but it is an original 1945 enfield sling.

Also I looked at the stock under the light and it seems to still have a faint marking on it from when the gun was being constructed (gun`s serial number for organizing which gun that stock was going to go to).

[jmoore]

Since it was made in February 1945 I know that limits its service history to Burma and possibly the Emergency afterwards.

Possibly Norway in 1945 as well.